This invention relates to a garment for convalescents who are confined at least part of the time to wheelchairs and who are secured therein for safety reasons by a restraining device. More particularly, this invention relates to a decorative, dignified and highly functional gown which is designed to promote the physical and psychological rehabilitation of convalescents.
In care and rehabilitation institutions, it is common to find invalid and convalescent patients, particularly elderly persons and stroke victims, confined to wheelchairs or having limited walking mobility. Often, such patients lack upper body strength and have difficulty controlling their movements. For example, such patients can slide forward in their wheelchairs, or even turn over their wheelchairs, thereby sustaining injuries. To remedy these problems, various restraining devices have been employed to limit a patient's movement while seated in a wheelchair. A commonly used type of restraining device is a pelvic restraint, which fits underneath a patient's gown and between the legs like a diaper; two sets of straps are used to secure the pelvic restraint by buckling or tying behind the wheelchair.
Additionally, convalescent patients, during the course of their convalescence, may at times have limited walking mobility. In these situations a garment which can easily accommodate different rehabilitation circumstances is needed.
When pelvic restraints such as this are used with women convalescents wearing dresses or hospital gowns, the skirts of their dresses and gowns overlap the restraint straps such that the woman's lower back and thigh regions remain exposed in an undignified manner. Moreover, the skirts do not fall gracefully over her knees and have a tendency to creep upward toward her hips, revealing private parts of the body. When body parts remain exposed, the convalescent is not provided with sufficient warmth and, further, is susceptible to abrasions and skin irritation caused by the rubbing of straps or the wheelchair itself against her skin. Thus, conventional dresses and hospital gowns have been less than satisfactory for use by such women convalescents.
One proposed solution to these problems has been to request that women confined to wheelchairs wear slacks. This solution is unavailable, however, to patients who suffer from increased pain as can be caused by lifting their legs into a pair of slacks. Also, many women find slacks less comfortable than a dress especially when diapers or other medical equipment are placed beneath the dress. Still other, and particularly elderly, women consider it improper or distasteful to wear slacks. These women believe that wearing slacks demeans their femininity, which results in lowered dignity and self-esteem. Furthermore, when used with slacks, the pelvic restraint devices are plainly visible to others, causing the patient to feel more self-conscious and helpless. These negative feelings lead to withdrawal, lack of attention, and inability to concentrate, all of which interfere with the rehabilitation process. A second solution has been to provide lap robes to women convalescents. These lap robes, however, frequently come untied and fall from the patient's lap. Also, these lap robes are of no use to patients with partial mobility when those patients are walking.
These alternatives, while addressing the basic problems, are less than desirable because they fail to provide the self-esteem and femininity accorded a woman by a pretty dress and required for complete rehabilitation.